The present invention relates to a fixture for use in manufacturing and transporting an appliance and to a method of manufacturing an appliance with such a fixture. More particularly, the invention relates to a manufacturing and transport fixture for use with an appliance having an outer cabinet and an inner suspended member having a resilient suspension system between the suspended member and the cabinet for transferring the weight of the suspended member to the cabinet.
In the manufacturing of appliances, oftentimes fixtures are utilized for carrying various components of the appliance during the assembly process which may be carried out with the use of a conveyor system. Usually the fixtures are strictly utilized in the manufacturing process and at some point during the manufacturing process, the fixtures are removed from the assembled or partially assembled appliance and are reused again in manufacturing other appliances. In some instances, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,205, a fixture may be utilized both for assembly in an assembly as well as for shipping purposes. In other instances, such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,934,805 and 4,577,828, a base of an appliance may be utilized to hold other components during assembly of the appliance, to be used during shipping and also after the appliance is installed.
A multiple component fixture utilized during both assembly and shipping is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,471,116 which comprises three blocks of expanded polystyrene foam which are utilized to support both ends in a central portion of a cabinet such as a console television cabinet during assembly and shipping. The polystyrene blocks on either end contain recesses for receiving components of the cabinet, such as legs, while the central block is frictionally captured between a pair of braces on the under surface of the central portion of the cabinet.